FREE-SCORING winger Adrian Gardner insists there's no over-confidence in the St Helens camp, despite their 15-game winning run.
Saints are odds-on favourites to win tomorrow's first Carnegie Challenge Cup semi-final, but Gardner claims the holders are wary of the threat Leeds Rhinos will pose.
"Obviously we're playing well," said Gardner, who has scored 26 tries in all mat
ches this season, three more than his nearest rival, Rhinos' Scott Donald.
"It's down to hard work, the boys are absolutely killing it in training, everyone is doing extras.
"Confidence is high because we are winning on the pitch, but no-one is resting on their laurels.
"It is going to be an absolutely massive game this week, one of the biggest games I've played in, apart from when we played in the Cup final in 2004.
"I've never known a build-up with this much hype, it is just a joy to be involved in."
Gardner is expecting a "tight" contest.
He said: "It'll be close game, there won't be much in it. Leeds are going to be massively up for it."
Gardner has developed an intense rivalry with Donald at the head of the try scoring charts.
"He's obviously a good player," said the Saints star.
"You look forward to testing yourself against the best and he's up there at the minute.
"He's played at the highest level in the NRL and obviously I rate him highly.
"People are keeping count around me, but I just try and get over the line as much as I can."
The full article contains 266 words and appears in EP Leeds First & County newspaper.
